Karauziy

Carausius belonged to the Gallic tribe of menapius , who lived between the Rhine and Scheldt , and was of noble (according to Eutropius , “very simple”) origin. Even in his youth, he joined the military. In the war of Emperor Maximian with the Bagauds, Carausius made a career thanks to his courage. Since he was well acquainted with maritime affairs, Diocletian and Maximian placed him at the head of the fleet, which protected the coast of Gaul from sea raids by the Saxons and Franks . Carausius successfully acted against the enemy, but appropriated the prey, not giving it to either the provinces robbed by the Germans or the emperors; they began to suspect him that he specifically allowed the Saxons and Franks to rob the lands of the empire, so that later they would take everything from them. Because of these suspicions, Maximian ordered the murder of Carausius, but he proclaimed himself emperor and crossed with the fleet to Britain ^{[1] [2]} . Legions stationed in this province supported the usurper (in 286 or 287) ^{[3] [4]} ; he retained control over a number of harbors in northern Gaul ^[5] .

Maximian, who ruled the West, could not immediately punish Carausius for the rebellion. By 289, he had assembled a fleet in Gaul for a landing in Britain, but his venture ended in failure. One source claims that Maximian’s ships died during the storm, but in reality there could have been a battle in which Carausius won ^[6] . After this, Maximian and Diocletian had to recognize the new emperor ^[7] . Carausius used the respite to fortify the Adrian Wall in the north and neutralize the Picts threat. He emphasized his alliance with Maximian and Diocletian minting a coin with images of all three and the inscription “Carausius and his brothers” ( Carausius et fratres sui ), appropriated signs of consular dignity ^{[8] [3]} .

In 293, the younger emperor Constantius Chlorus (subordinate to Maximian) launched a new war. He forced to capitulate the large harbor of Gezoriac and occupied all the other fortified points in Gaul, which were controlled by Carausius. As a result, the position of the latter has become very precarious. In the same year, his close (supposedly prefect of the praetorium ) named Alekt killed Karauziy and took his place ^{[9] [10] [11] [3]} .

Preserved many coins minted by Carausius during his short reign. They were minted in Londinia and in another city - Kamulodun , Clavisent or Korinia . The inscriptions on the coins speak of the emperor’s political program: his desire for peace (The World of Carausius Augustus, The World of Three Augusts), his broad plans (the inscription Renaissance of the Romans, adjacent to the image of Romulus and Remus sucking on the udder of a she-wolf) , on the support of the emperor by the British (quote from Virgil “Come, long-awaited” with the image of Britain, shaking hands with Carausius) ^[12] .

Carausius is a character in the story of the English writer Rosemary Sutcliffe “Silver Branch” (1957).

Sources

1. Aurelius Victor . About Caesars .
2. Flavius ​​Eutropius . Breviary of Roman history. - SPb. : Aletheia, 2001 .-- 305 p. - ISBN 5-89329-345-2 .

Literature

1. Grant M. Roman Emperors. Biographical reference of the rulers of the Roman Empire. - M .: Terra Book Club, 1998 .-- 400 p. - ISBN 5-300-02314-0 .
2. Kovalev S. History of Rome. - M .: Polygon, 2002 .-- 864 p. - ISBN 5-89173-171-1 .
3. Seek O. Carausius 1 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1899. - Bd. III, 2. - Kol. 1870-1871.
4. Williams, S. Diocletian and the Roman Recovery. - New York: Routledge, 1997.